


Love and Loneliness

by Luminous Luminita (LumiousLuminita)



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dark Magic, Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Language, Major Original Character(s), Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Rating: PG13, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23072227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LumiousLuminita/pseuds/Luminous%20Luminita
Summary: William changed drastically after his fiasco on Lyoko. The others began ignoring him as if he was an insignificant insect, furthering his depression. But one winter's night, he has a run in with a mysterious girl who changes everything. Within this complex world, one shouldn't take everything at face value or underestimate the power of a second chance.
Relationships: Jeremie Belpois/Aelita Schaeffer, Odd Della Robbia/Original Female Character(s), William Dunbar/Original Female Character(s), Yumi Ishiyama/Ulrich Stern
Kudos: 4





	1. Heartbreak

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: So I started writing this fanfiction way back in high school around 2012 and started posting it to FF way back when. I'm trying to continue it as a fair amount of people liked it. This is a Code Lyoko fanfiction starring William Dunbar! I hope you like this! Unlike some of my other fanfictions, this story will probably remain rated T.

* * *

Chapter 1: Heartbreak

* * *

William Dunbar stood outside the grounds of Kadic Academy by himself. He looked at the surroundings and he saw everything suited his solemn mood. It was nighttime but the sky was filled with dark clouds like a void of blackness, the wind became icy to where it was painful like a stab to a vital organ, it was so cold like a resentful hatred, and it aura about him was like an eternal depression. There wasn't a soul in sight, leaving him all alone. Everyone else was snugged up in bed, warm and asleep, but he was walking about on a winter's night. Nevertheless, he walked on. He walked until he found a bench and sat down. A moment after he sat down, the rain began falling hard. He was getting soaked, but he didn't care. As the rain hit him, it felt like needles stinging his skin. The rain slid down his cheeks as if they were his own tears. He clenched his teeth, gripped his shit with his hands, and his head went down. Tears were attempting to fall, but he still made a valiant effort to hide them from the outside world. "The rain is the tears I can't cry." He softly said to himself.

The past couple weeks had been agonizing for him. A few days ago, he returned back to Earth after a few months of him being possessed by XANA on Lyoko against his own will. When he first returned, he was in almost in a daze and in a blur, unaware of how much time had passed. Oh how he wished that he had stayed in that delusion. But the reality came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks.

It all came back to him. He remembered going to Lyoko for the first time with Aelita on a mission to protect the core of Lyoko. He then got separated from her and then monster appeared, attacking him. He later learned that due to his arrogance, he got possessed by XANA and was gone for months. While he was possessed he had tried to kill his friends several times. In order not to cause suspicion, Jeremie had to make a clone of him, but that clone ended up being the class idiot. Because of that clone, his parents ended up really worrying about him because he wasn't the same William. It also made his classmates question his sanity and intelligence, causing him to become subjected to bullying. Everyone started to push him away.

Every night, nightmares of the times he was possessed by XANA haunted him like a demon. There were nights where he'd even wake up crying softly to himself. But he'd never admit that to anyone.

But worst of all, he was told by Yumi that he couldn't be trusted anymore and then they all began ignoring him. He was rejected by the love of his life and the closest people he could call friends. All they do is ignore him now.

To them, he was nothing more than an annoyance. Like a thorn in your side that you couldn't pull out.

William would hear Ulrich talking to the gang about how much he royally screwed up. Ulrich talked so much shit about him that it made William have the urge to go up to Ulrich and want to punch his lights out. They never really liked each other much from the get go, mostly because they both liked Yumi.

Odd teased William as well, treating everything like a big joke. He'd often make jokes at William's expense, Ulrich laughing along with him. But then again, Odd barely ever took anything seriously.

Jeremie was a little different. He didn't blatantly talk down to William directly, but he seemed reluctant to the idea of giving him a second chance all the same. William's best guess was that Jeremie just didn't want to get involved in all that drama or have history repeat himself.

Aelita seemed like she still wanted to William's friend and she felt sympathy for him. But it seems like she feels pressured to keep quiet by her friends. She wanted everyone to get along.

But of course, it was the rejection by Yumi that hurt the most of all. She was the love of his life, but she left him in the dust. He loved her with all of his heart, but he felt like she tossed him aside like trash.

He knew very well that his overconfidence is what screwed him over. But he didn't think that things would have taken such a bad turn.

He just wanted to prove to them that he, too, could be of use to them as a Lyoko Warrior.

It hurt him more than words could say. Not that he could ever tell anyone that.

But the only person he could blame was himself.

"Excuse me, William, but what are doing out in this?" A female voice asked softly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He turned to see a girl with lily white skin, dark blue eyes that looked like the night sky, long waist-length ebony hair with long tapered bangs that framed her face, and a curvy yet chubby build. She wore a long sleeved knee-length black dress, black leggings under the dress, and black boots. She didn't carry an umbrella, so her clothes were getting soaked, just like his. He recognized this girl to be Kandadara.

To him and everyone else at Kadic, Kandadara was a girl shrouded in mystery. People barely knew anything about her, though they had a tendency to describe her as dark.

William only knew a little about Kandadara. She was often described as negative, pessimistic, sad, depressed, withdrawn, mysterious, shy, secretive, dark, and just flat out weird. But he knew she was just very misunderstood. She was also was sweet and kind than anyone she knew, even to the point to where she was a doormat. Perhaps she was way too nice for her own good, much like Aelita in that regard. But no one else could see who she really is. But William knew that she was a very good person. He could feel it down to his soul.

He didn't know how he knew, but he could tell that she held a lot of sadness and secrets locked away within herself, unable to tell a soul.

She was the very definition of the phrase 'still water runs deep'.

William eyed her eyes closely, trying to read what she thinking. After all, the eyes were the window to the soul. Their eyes met only for a moment, but she nervously looked away from him. A rosy blush crept across her face and she started fidgeting with her wet clothes. In that moment he looked into her dark blue eyes, he saw a great sadness. A sadness that even he couldn't understand. Why was she so sad? William said in a serious tone, "I could ask you the same thing."

Kandadara didn't make any eye contact with him at all, making William wonder about what she had on her mind. She said, sounding unsure of what to say, "I suppose you could..."

But this was one of the days where William didn't want to be bothered by anyone. He was heartbroken and devastated. He couldn't bear the thought of getting close to anyone at this point in time. He was afraid he'd get hurt again. Being the stubborn guy he was, he wanted to deal with the burden alone.

So he decided to push her (as well everyone else) away in any and every way he could.

"So what do you want?" He asked, sounding really annoyed.

For a few moments, there was no words spoken. The atmosphere became almost unbearably awkward. The intense silence almost intimidated her. Normally she enjoyed peace and quiet, but this was an exception.

Unable to stand it, she forced herself to say something. She said gently, "I just wanted to see if you were okay..." But of course, all she had to do was see the expression on his face and his dark aura to know her answer. She knew that answer to that in a heartbeat. He was _not_ okay.

He had changed drastically over the course of a few months. When they first met, she was instantly attracted to how handsome he was. She later learned his personality was just as good as his looks. He was sweet, kind, romantic, mysterious, charismatic, handsome, and a little rebellious. Out of any guy at Kadic, he was the kindest to her. He encouraged her, comforted her when she was down, and stood up for her. He made her blush fire when he was near her. He made her heart beat faster and harder when he merely passed by her. When he came around, she always got butterflies in her stomach. Just thinking about him made her happy. She felt like he was the light in her darkness. Over the months, she slowly began to fall in love with him.

Kandadara knew he loved Yumi, but she could see that Yumi didn't feel the same way about him. Yumi's heart was set on Ulrich and the feeling was mutual. In fact, everyone in Kadic knows that they like each other, but it was like they themselves couldn't see that.

At first, Yumi seemed to like his company and it even seemed like she liked him, much to Kandadara's distaste. But of course, when Ulrich came into play, Yumi began pushing him away. Yumi and her gang of friends always disappeared off somewhere, making William suspicious.

After that, they all became friends for a short time, but that wasn't to last. William had suddenly disappeared without a single trace, which at the time, scared her, fearing something bad had happened to him. She had later heard that he just went on an overseas trip and then got the flu. But even so, why didn't he tell anymore?

But when he came back, he was way different. He acted like the class clown even though she had known William to be smarter than that. He took every figure of speech literally. Everyone thought he had lost his mind.

After the whole oddball phase, just a couple weeks ago he changed for the worst. He had dark circles under her eyes and they were shadowed with fatigue, as if he was having nightmares. His skin had turned pale and ashen, as if he was ill. He also looked thinner and frailer, as if he was barely eating. He also so seemed aged and world weary, like the life had been sucked out of him. What happened to him?

He seemed very depressed as of late. He started acting ice cold and lemon sour, as if deliberately isolating himself away from everyone else. He just wasn't the same anymore.

The William that stood before her wasn't the same William knew and loved. In fact, she could barely recognize him anymore.

William looked at her with cold and icy eyes, a look that he never gave her before. But nowadays, this look was one of the looks William gave to everyone. He said, irritated, "Why do you care?"

She knew he wanted to be left alone, but if she did, her heart wouldn't let her live it down. "I just wanted to help you..." She spoke softly in almost a whisper.

"It's not your business!" He said bitterly, raising his voice.

"B-But I..." She squeaked out.

"Just leave me alone!" William shouted at her in all the anger he had held in. He stormed up from the bench and jumped at her, roughly grabbing her wrists. The force of all of this pushed them to the hard ground with him dominating over her.

In the same instant, the weather only got worse. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky. The weather only increased in its intensity in every way.

"W-William...that hurts..." She struggled and tried to get free from his strong grip, but failed. Tears began overflowing out of her dark blue eyes and rolled down her face like the Nile River. Her body was trembling like an earthquake and she was scared out of her wits. Her whole body began aching a stinging pain. She felt paralyzed because she was hurting so much she couldn't move without bringing on even more pain.

But somehow, even in the midst of all of it, she couldn't blame him for it.

She wanted to help him. She wanted to save him, if she could.

"Why do you care so much?" He demanded angrily.

William was surprised by his own outburst and actions. He had not expected that he'd do such a thing.

"Because...I know you're a good guy..." She replied, feeling only a little hope in her heart. It was only a little, but it was enough to where she believed.

His face softened a little. He desperately wanted to believe her words, but it seemed all too hopeless.

"You're too late..." He murmured. "I'm not anymore."

He was well aware of her feelings towards him, but he didn't know what to make of them.

He knew deep down that some part of him wanted to let her in but another part didn't, so he couldn't bring himself too. At this time, he was afraid of letting anyone else in, so he tried harder to push her away.

"The William you knew died long ago, Kandadara. You can't do anything for me now." He said sadly. With that, he released his grip on her and got off of her.

When he said that, it cut her deep like a knife. She really wanted to believe otherwise, but the look on his face only confirmed how dead serious was. The look on his face only scratched the surface of how hurt he was.

William couldn't look at her now and all he could weakly say was, "Just go, okay...?"

Kandadara couldn't bring herself to look at him either. She said, through her sadness and tears, "I'm sorry..."

With that, she disappeared from his sight in an instant and went back to her dorm room with tears running down her face.

William just stood in that winter's storm and guilt began overwhelming his mind.

He knew very well that he did her wrong. He treated her just as bad as Yumi and her friends had treated him, so of course he felt really bad about it.

"I'm sorry, Kandadara..." He said softly into the open, knowing she couldn't hear him.

He knew what the right thing to do was to apologize. In fact, he owed it to her, but right now, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He inwardly cursed himself as he silently walked back to his dorm room.

Right now, he just hurt too damn much.

* * *


	2. Routine

* * *

Chapter 2: Routine

* * *

Kandadara ran and ran until she reached her room. When she got there she slammed the door shut, threw herself onto the bed, and cried endlessly.

William's words constantly rang through her mind like a tape recorder replaying same loop of words over and over again.

_"The William you knew died long ago, Kandadara. You can't do anything for me now."_

She desperately didn't want to believe those words were true, but it seemed to be all too real. She wanted to believe that all of this was just a nightmare and that when she wakes up everything will be fine. She wanted to wake up to William being the William she knew and loved. But no matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise, it was the cruel reality.

She didn't want to admit it aloud, but deep down she knew that he had forever changed.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry William..." She repeated over and over softly to herself through all her tears, though she knew he would never hear her.

So many thoughts spun around in her head all at once.

'What happened to make William change like this and why did he change the way he did? Will he ever go back to the way he used to be?'

Somehow, her intuition was telling her something that she couldn't deny.

'I don't know why, but my gut feeling says Yumi and her friends are behind it all. Why is Yumi and her friends ignoring him like he's worthless? What did Yumi do to break his heart...?'

She realized something. 'I get it now...He was right...I'm not the one who can help him go back to the way he used to be...There's only one person who can...' Kandadara thought sadly.

There was only one person who can mend his broken heart.

"I'm sorry..." She said softly to herself.

"Sister, what's wrong?" A small girl's voice asked softly, snapping Kandadara out of her spiraling thoughts.

She rose up to see Sayaia, who was sitting up in her bed with her pajama's on.

Sayaia was Kandadara's little sister. Surprisingly, there was only a little over 1 year age gap between the sisters. Kandadara was 15 in 10th grade and Sayaia was 14 in 9th grade.

Kandadara and Sayaia looked similar, the only real differences was that Sayaia was a little bit shorter, chubbier, and younger than Kandadara. She also wears her hair in 2 low ponytails/pigtails all the time, whereas Kandadara wears typically wears her hair completely down.

Kandadara wiped her tears away with her hand and stared at Sayaia with melancholy eyes. After a few moments, she finally said sadly, "I guess it hasn't been the best night..."

Sayaia paused nervously as if she was trying carefully think of what to say next. After a moment she spoke softly, "Is it...William?"

"Yeah..." Kandadara heaved a sigh.

All Sayaia could say was, "I'm sorry..."

Not wanting to think about it anymore, Kandadara decided to say to change the subject, "It's late, let's get to bed."

"Okay...Good night..." Sayaia said softly, laying back down in her bed.

With that Kandadara went to take the late night shower they both do, put her own pajamas on, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Hours had passed by and she woke up to a blaring alarm clock that was so annoying that her ears would bleed from how annoying it was.

She groggily got up from her bed and shut off that noisy alarm clock. For a few moments, she just stood blankly into space. The last thing she wanted to do was get up and face the day.

Sayaia's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "I think we should get going..."

"Yeah...we should..." Kandadara replied with a defeated sigh.

They slowly got up and followed the same boring routine they always did.

They both got dressed like they did every morning.

Sayaia put on a mid-thigh length flowery rose print dark purple jumper with a long sleeve lavender blouse and tights under it. She also put on dark purple Mary-Jane style shoes and ribbons with her low pigtails to match the dress.

Kandadara put on a dark blue butterfly print jumper that went slightly above her knees with a white long sleeve blouse and tights under it. She wore dark blue Mary-Jane style shoes to match her dress. Kandadara let her hair completely down and it flowed down to the lowest part of the back.

After they got dressed, both of them left their dorm room to find a long line of girls waiting to get into the bathroom and showers. It was like usual.

Though there were plenty of shower stalls where you could shower by yourself, bathroom stalls to do your business, mirrors to apply makeup or check hair, and sinks to do the typical stuff like brush teeth or wash hands, it was always held up by Sissi Delmas.

Sissi, because she's the principal's daughter, always thought she had exclusive rights. She had made a rule that in the morning that while she was in there, no one else could go in. If someone did, she'd tell her father some stupid lie to get that person in trouble and she'd also make said person's life a living hell. As unfortunate as it was, Mr. Delmas always took his daughters side.

Many girls waited in that line and constantly complained about waiting so long.

"It's the same thing every morning!" Milly complained, frustrated beyond hell.

"Yeah, she thinks she's so exclusive to hog it all herself..." Tamiya added in the same tone.

"I bet the boys don't have to wait like this!" Milly went on complaining as she did every day.

"Probably because they don't have Sissi to hog the bathroom..." Tamiya rambled on.

Emily chimed in on their endless complaining, "I really hate Sissi." She said with distaste.

"Why does she get all the time in the bathroom?" Heidi joined in.

"She's so mean to me." Naomi sighed sadly.

"I hate waiting every morning for this." Anais threw in.

"Talk about annoying..." Claire sighed in frustration.

"I hate waiting..." Magali complained just like the others.

"This is so lame..." Sandra said to herself.

"This sucks." Valerie said, putting her hand on her forehead.

A lot of the other girls did the same amount of complaining.

Aelita softly said to herself, "Yumi's so lucky she's not a boarder..."

Inwardly, Kandadara thanked the fact that she and her little sister Sayaia showered late at night when there's fewer people and they never had to worry about disturbances.

But of course, they still had to brush their teeth in the morning. But they never waited in that long line of hell; they just went to one of the girl's bathrooms to do that. Plus, if they had to, they could also use the bathroom without waiting.

Planning ahead was always a godsend. If they didn't, they'd be stuck waiting like everyone else.

With that, they walked to the cafeteria to get their breakfast and sat down by themselves like they always did. It was just the same routine day in and day out.

A couple minutes later, William walked into the room to get his breakfast like he always did. The whole aura around him was depressing.

In the instant he came in, Kandadara felt a tug at her heartstrings. Her heart was throbbing and beating ever so fast, aching for him. Her stomach was up in knots a gut-wrenching way. She put her head on the table and buried it with her face with her arms.

She couldn't stand to see him so depressed. It destroyed her to see him as devastated as he was. She couldn't face him now.

But unknown to her, William noticed the subtle hiding from him that she just did. Somehow, it just irritated him, but he decided to shrug it off. He couldn't really blame her, could he?

He scanned the room to find a seat. His eyes automatically fell to a group of 5 people that were once his friends. There was 1 empty seat, but he knew that it was useless to ask.

For a moment, he looked in all of them in general and then his eyes fell to Yumi. In his eyes, his longing eyes of love met her cold eyes of hatred for a few moments. But he looked away from her and lowered his eyes to the ground in shame. He couldn't face her. Or any of them for that matter.

The guilt overwhelmed him like that stormy weather did the night before. Just like the horrific nightmares he had every night since he came back. He just couldn't face them anymore because of everything he did.

With that, he started walking on to find another table to eat by himself.

Kandadara was still in the same position with her head down, but Sayaia had witnessed the silent treatment that the group of 5 gave to William.

Like Kandadara, Sayaia was the type of person to quietly observe in the background. So of course she had noticed that for the past several days, it was the typical routine for that group to give William the silent treatment. It was the same routine every time their paths had crossed. Why was that?

She normally wasn't the type to get involved with conflict, even if she was a curious one. But after seeing Kandadara literally sobbing her eyes out on the bed the night before after what happened between her and William, she felt like she had to do something. Not just for her sister's sake, but for William and the others too.

She knew it would only hurt all of them more and more as the days went by.

So she decided that she had to be the one to finally change that horrible routine.

* * *


	3. Welcome to Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: The only warning that I should give is this chapter contains some foul language. The food dies and I'm sure Odd's mourning the loss. xD

* * *

Chapter 3: Welcome to Hell

* * *

For a few more minutes, Sayaia and Kandadara silently ate their breakfast together, both wrapped in their own thoughts. As soon as she got done, Sayaia got up and about to go to the group has been causing William so much pain as of late.

Kandadara looked at her sister with suspicious eyes. "What are you going to do?" But, deep down, she already knew the answer.

"I'm going to fix this." Sayaia replied softly, with a rare grim determination showing in her eyes. With that, she walked away from her without another word.

Kandadara sat quietly, letting her thoughts wander in her head, but her thoughts were running wild in her head, unsure of what to do. But she knew she had to do _something_.

* * *

Sayaia hesitantly walked towards them as she got more and more afraid as she got closer. With every baby step she took, her heart throbbed more and more. Second thoughts were practically screaming at her to _get out_ , but decided to press on regardless of her anxiety.

'Relax...you can do this...' She chanted to herself.

Like Kandadara, Sayaia hated conflict. If one ever arisen, she would try to either avoid it as much as she can. But if it is unavoidable, she panics and ends up being at a loss of what to do. Though one thing is for certain, she will always be there for someone in need.

When she reached them, they group of 5 didn't even notice her because they were too busy mad-dogging William.

"Hey Jeremie, Aelita, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi..." She greeted them politely, attempting to break the ice, even more nervous now.

Aelita took notice of her and gave a weak albeit friendly smile. She said with some uncertainty, "Sayaia, what's up?"

She spoke quietly, "Nothing much, I guess. How are you guys?"

Small talk was usually something Sayaia hated doing as she'd much rather have deeper, more meaningful conversations, but this was an exception. She wanted to ease into a conversation before dropping the W-bomb, just to make it easier on herself.

"Sayaia, what do you want," Jeremie said while adjusting his glasses, "because I don't think you came over here just to say hi, did you?"

Of course Jeremie was smart; he was nicknamed Einstein for a reason. 'So much for small talk.' Sayaia thought, anxiety rising higher.

She shook her head and mumbled softly, "N-No...I suppose not..."

"Then what is it?" Odd asked, curious as to why the girl would even talk to them.

Sayaia was known as the ghost girl of the 9th grade. She was there, but you hardly ever noticed her.

Sayaia rarely spoke in class, unless the teacher called on her, but even then she would get really red and mumble out a barely audible answer.

With a couple of exceptions, it's been said that Odd's gone out with just about every girl in his grade, though most of them didn't last any longer than a few days. Because of this, Odd is known as the school player, so most of the girls avoid him like plague. The other reason was because people thought he had super smelly feet. Though if he was honest with himself, maybe it was an attempt to get his mind off of Samantha and move on.

Sayaia was one of the few he hasn't dated, but then again, he never really regarded her in that way. Plus, Sayaia didn't seem to be into the bad boy rebel types or class clown prankster types. He didn't know if she liked anyone, but if he had to guess, it was probably Ulrich, as almost all the girls in their grade had a crush on him. But even if it's true, the girl is naturally shy in general, so it's hard for anyone to tell.

'Just say it...' Sayaia mentally chanted over and over inside her head.

Beads of sweat were rolling down her flushed face. Her heart was racing and her stomach was up in knots. Sayaia never had much confidence in herself, that was a given.

She swallowed thickly before finally choking out nervously, "I-I just wanted to ask about...W-William..." In the instant after she said his name, she broke eye contact with them, not wanting to see the expressions on their faces. But she felt the air get heavy around her.

It was silent for a moment, then Ulrich said icily, "What about him?"

"Sayaia, did William put you up to this?" Odd asked her, voice sounding dead serious, a rarity for him.

This shocked her. Odd normally was known to be the biggest joker, so for him, that tone of voice from him was far and few between. She shook her head and murmured, voice barely audible, "No...I came here of my own free will..."

Ulrich eyed the shy ebony haired girl suspiciously and said, skeptical, "I'm not buying it."

"I just..." She trailed off.

Speaking for the first time during the conversation, Yumi said coldly, "If he did put you up to this, then tell him to leaves us alone."

"As for you, it's not your business." Ulrich said, voice almost condescending like he was lecturing a child.

This took her aback. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but she didn't think they would be _this_ stubborn about it. William was hurting because the people he once called his friends absolutely refuse to reconcile with him. Her heart ached for him.

She spoke softly, attempting to keep her voice calm and steady, but there was a certain sadness there, "I know it's not my business, but _why_ won't you forgive him? I can tell that he's _really_ sorry, so why don't you just _forgive_ him?"

Jeremie regarded her silently for a moment, wheels in his head turning. As far as William went, Jeremie wasn't sure where to stand with him. He didn't exactly hate William, but he wasn't warmed to the idea of being best friends with him. Nor did he trust him fully. Though ignoring, talking shit about, and treating William like crap, might be a bit harsh. But at the moment, they can't get along.

In all honesty, Aelita wondered the very same thing Sayaia had asked them. Why couldn't they make amends with William and be friends again? To her, to treat William so harshly was beyond cruel. To be fair, he did act a bit arrogant on his first trip to Lyoko, but what he did while under XANA's control wasn't his fault. It wasn't him doing those horrible things, but XANA. She has tried to tell the others to help her fix things, only to be scolded. She wholeheartedly agreed with Sayaia.

Odd, like Jeremie, didn't exactly hate William, but again, he didn't want to be buddy-buddy with him and he didn't trust him at the moment. William still had to prove himself, a lot. Odd made a lot of jokes, making fun of William. He knew it wasn't right, but it was mostly at the others expense and trying to be funny.

Ulrich hated William with a passion. Not just because William likes the same girl as he does, but because William was arrogant and held himself in a much too high regard. He deserved to be knocked down a peg.

Yumi thought William to be a nuisance. He was a cocky second rate Casanova that constantly bothered her and got into fights with her Ulrich. He just can't take the hint. Or he does, but he is too stubborn to accept that she would never like him.

Wait a second! Did she just say _her_ Ulrich? Truth be told she does like him, obviously, but doesn't know where to stand with him. Ulrich could be too immature for her tastes at times. He also was moody and sulked over spilt milk. But even so, she couldn't deny, at least to herself, that she liked Ulrich-a lot.

Sayaia remained silent, but the sadness was written all over her face.

But one could tell her the truth.

* * *

William watched the whole scene like a hawk. He knew very well that they were talking about him.

He expected backlash from them after what happened. He had wanted someone to talk to. Someone he could relate to. Sadly, he could never tell anyone about it, lest everyone would think he was insane. On top of that, he swore his secrecy to them.

But what he _didn't_ expect was Kandadara and Sayaia, of all people, to get involved as much as they did. They were surprisingly one _hell_ of a handful, he had realized with irritation. Why they even cared, he had _no_ idea.

'It's always the quiet ones.' He thought.

With that, he got up to enter the war-zone.

* * *

"Look Sayaia, it's not that simple..." Jeremie finally said, voice careful and steady.

"I get the hint..." Sayaia murmured faintly, with a slight bitterness in her voice.

She was about to turn to leave when a male voice stopped her in her tracks, making eyes go wide and her body go stone stiff. "Am I interrupting anything?" The voice said dryly.

They all turned to see who it was.

It was William himself, standing next to Sayaia.

Ulrich wasted no time throwing an insult at him, "Oh look, if it isn't the scumbag himself."

William looked at Ulrich with such a cold glare no one thought he could sport, then he said, anger rising, "Do you _want_ to start something?"

Ulrich spoke again, voice full of distaste, "Can't you take a hint? Leave us alone."

This pissed him off. Anger surged through him like a volcano about to erupt. "I know I made a mistake! I said I was sorry!" William practically yelled, his voice strained, trying to repress anger that was about to reach its boiling point. "After one mistake, I'm treated like the bad guy?"

Because of his outburst, people watched with curious eyes, waiting how the story would unfold. Or they just wanted to see some drama.

Aelita said meekly, in an attempt to stop the conflict, "Guys...people are staring..."

"Do you think I care?" William uttered out coldly. Some part of him wanted the _world_ to know how they hurt him and that they didn't give a _rat's ass_ about his feelings.

"Yeah, let the world know how much of an asshole you are!" Ulrich said loudly, trying to egg him on.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" William yelled, livid like hell's fury.

Some people crowded around the group, listening into the heated argument. With the exception of William and Ulrich, the others voices weren't so easy to hear. But that was the least of their worries, it seemed.

Sayaia noticed the people around them and she kept her eyes glued to the ground. She went back into her reserved little shell, but perhaps it was better that way.

Ulrich stood up from his chair, just wanting to push William over the edge. But he bid his time, waiting for the right moment. If he pushed it a little more, then William would snap. And this he did when he pressed, "Stop trying to get with Yumi; she doesn't like you."

"Fuck off, Ulrich," William said darkly, warning him, "It's not like she's your girlfriend either." He caught on to what Ulrich was trying to do, but he didn't care about that. Actually the feeling was mutual; he wanted to _kill_ Ulrich too. And he knew that if Ulrich said the wrong thing, he'd probably snap Ulrich's neck. He was that pissed.

"Can you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Yumi said, irritated. Her eyes went to William, and continued, raising her voice, "Look, William, I want _nothing_ to do with you. So get this through your thick skull: I want you to _leave me alone_!" She said it so loudly that the whole room heard her.

"You heard her, so buzz off William," Ulrich added on, with a smug look on his face. He won.

Sayaia knew hell would break loose, but not _this_ much. She expected them to yell at her and for an argument to ensue. But she _didn't_ expect William to step in, but he did, adding way more coal to the flaming furnace than she ever would.

It was as if they had forgotten all about her though.

William was trying to reign in his anger, but to no avail. "I told you guys a million times that I was _sorry_! So why the _fuck_ can't you just accept that?!" He yelled, ready to snap. He was at his _wits end_.

* * *

Though they hadn't realized it, Kandadara had been watching the whole scenario and hearing everything they were saying too. How it was all playing out seemed _horrible_.

Being the idealist she was, inwardly she had hoped that she could end it all herself and that it would be a walk in the park. But alas, it wasn't. As much as she hated conflict, she couldn't just stand by and watch it either.

With that, she got up from her seat and entered the crossfire.

* * *

"You really need to control your anger," Ulrich said, taunting him, "or else you might explode."

Before he could responded, the feminine voice belonging to Kandadara, said, I'm sorry...am I interrupting anything?" All eyes fell on her, but she ignored that fact.

Though they didn't say it aloud, Sayaia, Aelita, Jeremie, and Odd were _so_ thankful for the interruption. Things were escalating fast and Kandadara stepped in just in time. But would it get worse? None of them knew the answer.

The atmosphere was unbearably awkward between all 8 of them and there were no words exchanged for what felt an eternity, but in reality it had only been a couple seconds. Everyone kept quiet and it seemed like they all were unsure of what to say or do.

Unable to stand the tension, Odd attempted to crack a joke, though there was no humor in it, "This tension is like thick fog; you can cut it with a knife!" He laughed weakly, but it died quickly when he saw the looks on all their faces.

"That was a _really_ bad joke, Odd." Ulrich said, mentally face-palming. Odd has told lame jokes before, but that one just took the cake.

Sayaia inwardly laughed, easing some of her anxiety. Even though the joke wasn't that funny, he at least tried to lighten the mood. He _tried_ , at least.

William spoke again, this time his gaze was at the sisters before him, voice bitter, harsh, and self-loathing, "Why do you both keep on getting involved with this?!"

"Trying to help," Kandadara replied softly, "because I-"

"WE can't stand by and see you suffer..." Sayaia interrupted, correcting her and finishing her sentence.

Kandadara nodded at her before shifting her attention to the Lyoko gang. She felt her eyes narrow and then said, voice strained, "I don't know what's going on between you all and it's probably not my business...What did he do that was so bad...? Why can't you all just get along...?"

Before anyone could answer, William said coldly, "Stay out of this...both of you!"

"William I-" She began, attempting to reach for him.

"Enough!" He yelled, cutting her off and slapping her hand away. "Stay out of it."

Though he hated to see the hurt looks on their faces, it wasn't their problem to deal with.

Ulrich shook his head at William and said, his tone condescending, "I knew you were a scumbag, but William, abusing women? You've reached a new low."

That was the _last straw_. He didn't care about the consequences, he really wanted to _kill_ Ulrich. "That's it!"

With that, they both attacked each other head on. Within seconds, punches were swung, kicks were thrown, bruises were made, profanities were exchanged, and more chaos ensued.

In the heat of it all, Odd joined them, intending to help Ulrich.

For them, it all happened in a flash there was no time to think; only action.

By this point, everyone in the cafeteria was staring at the scene falling before them. Before anyone knew it, some people began shouting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Jeremie and Aelita, not wanting to get involved, attempted to get away, but the crowd of people made it impossible to go anywhere at all. So the were stuck like chuck.

"Stop it guys!" Aelita pleaded, but her voice was like a fading whisper that drowned into the chaos.

Aelita _hated_ seeing her friends fight. What she really wanted was for all of them to get along and be friends again. She felt bad for William, she really did. In fact, she had been trying to convince her friends to reconcile with him as of late, only for them to ignore her wishes.

Jeremie didn't like seeing his friends fight either. Sure, he was reluctant to trust William again, but treating him like an outcast was a bit harsh. But he went along with what the others did. But to him, it was ridiculous and pointless drama. Just a childish game.

Right after Aelita attempted to stop them, Yumi tried, "You guys are acting so immature!" She chided them like the little kids they were acting, but like Aelita, her voice was ignored in the midst of the fighting.

Yumi couldn't say that she was surprised that the boys would break out in a fight. It wasn't the first time William and Ulrich did.

Kandadara stood there in muted shock, eyes wide and body stone stiff. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears, on the verge of crying. She knew that the situation was bad between them, but she didn't know it was _that_ bad. But some part of her felt guilty, as if it was all _her_ fault.

Silent tears began flowing out of Sayaia's eyes like little rivers. This wasn't what she wanted at all! She never asked for such madness. All she wanted was for them to get along. "Stop...Please stop..." But no one heard her.

It didn't matter if she got hurt, she had to stop them. "Enough!" Kandadara yelled out, feet taking flight in an effort to stop them.

All of their protest fell on deaf ears.

Thankfully, the authoritive whistle of silenced everyone and stopped them in their tracks.

It was Jim Moralles, the P.E. teacher. He was also one of Mr. Delmas's trusted friends and advisors. He oversaw much of Kadics disciplinary actions, rules, and overall moral code. Kadic Academy had absolutely _no_ tolerance for bullshit, _especially_ violence. "Stern, Dunbar, Della Robbia, Ishiyama, Belpois, Stones, and Branwenn sisters! To the principal's office this instant! Or else I'll _make_ you." He yelled out at them, beyond pissed.

Scared out of their wits, they all went out the cafeteria with Jim following behind them, with everyone else staring at them.

* * *

On the way to Mr. Delmas's office, Jim watched them all like a hawk, though his attention was mostly on Ulrich, Odd, and William, the ones who started to fight. But every few seconds, he look a glance at the others.

Though the aforementioned boys didn't say anything, the looks they gave each other said it all; they wanted to beat each other to a bloody pulp. The tense dark aura was surrounding all 3 of them.

Odd was one of the school's biggest pranksters and jokesters. He was a rebel who brook school rules and loved to mess around. He never took his studies seriously, except for art and music. He was also very creative and imaginative. Jim collects some of his origami when he makes it, though Jim honestly thinks Odd should actually try to focus on his studies.

Jim knew Ulrich was really athletic, but he wasn't the best at school. His grades were very average. He has been known to cause trouble and liked to play practical jokes on the staff, mostly Jim himself, along with Odd.

William was rebellious and he liked to play practical jokes himself. He was a smart aleck at times and he sometimes ditched class. Jim could swear that William's even snuck out of Kadic to do who-knows-what, but he never caught him in the act. He was an idealistic guy with his head up in the clouds. But he's been acting very strangely as of late. He went from a bad boy to the class clown then to depression.

William and Ulrich have been known to fight, mostly verbally but it almost got physical a few times. Jim had scolded them several times over it.

They all cause fair amounts of trouble, but they never really hurt anyone before, until today.

As far as Aelita, Jeremie, and Yumi went, generally they weren't troublemakers.

Aelita isn't a troublemaker, as far as he knows. She's an honor student, really sweet, kind to everyone, and is generally well liked by her peers. But it didn't mean hadn't broken rules before. In her first week, she had went into the boys showers. There was another time when she and Jeremie were together after lights out in Jeremie's room. It seemed like they were talking and they even said they were studying, but who knows what they would do later.

Like Aelita, Jeremie was an honor student. In fact, he was one of the highest marking students at Kadic. Though his physical prowess was lacking very much, his intelligence was phenomenal and made up for that. But he has broken rules before, again, namely the time when Aelita was in his room after lights out and has played some pranks before.

Yumi was a day student and wasn't a boarder. She also was a grade higher than all of her friends. She was in the same grade as William and Kandadara. She is intelligent and athletic, from what he had seen. She, like Jeremie and Aelita, took her studies very seriously.

But he could tell they were keeping a secret from him. Sometimes they all skipped class and talked amongst themselves in a private spot, like they were hiding something. Something was going on, but he didn't know what.

When it comes to the sisters, he initially was really shocked to see Kandadara and Sayaia involved in a fight, as such is the _last_ thing he expected. They were both very shy and quiet, but they also so sweet and kind, a bit too much so at times. From he knew, both were intelligent and got good grades. Though they weren't very good at athletics at all, they tried at least. Unlike the other 6 students and so many students at Kadic, they never really caused trouble for anyone. In fact, occasionally he had to stop other people from bullying them. But it's been said they said that the quiet ones are the ones you have to look out for. On top on that, if he was honest with himself, they _royally_ freaked him out. There was _definitely_ more to them than what was on the surface. There was just something _dark_ about them.

It all seemed fitting though, as their last names were Branwenn. What's more, their parents' names were Damion and Lilith. All of those names were associated with darkness and the like. Was it coincidence or something else, he didn't know. But dark was a word that seemed to describe them and their family very well. But were they truly evil, he doubted.

Jeremie and Aelita were behind them, talking amongst themselves.

"Definitely not our day," Jeremie whispered to Aelita, "with the fight and now this."

Aelita nodded in agreement. "I just hope we don't get punished too," she added, "because we didn't get into the fight. We tried to stop it."

Jeremie shook his head as he said, "With our luck today, I doubt it."

"Belpois and Stones, cease your chattering." Jim said, not looking at them.

"Yes sir!" Jeremie and Aelita said together, not wanting to be disciplined any further. Having to go to the principal's office was bad enough, but getting _suspended_ or _expelled_ was the last thing they wanted.

Both Kandadara and Sayaia remained silent, but still were rather shaken up about the entire fiasco and feeling guilty over it.

Kandadara wanted to cry but she just couldn't. Inside, she was beating herself over it.

Sayaia was crying silently, her soft sobs barely even audible.

They arrived at the office to see Nicole Weber, the school secretary, who was rather shocked to see the 8 students at once. "Jim? What's going on so early?" She asked, though she had a pretty good idea of what happened.

"A fight at breakfast." Jim said in disbelief, all the while giving them a harsh look.

"My guess was right," She said, nodding her head. Then she turned to the students. "Go on in," she told them sternly, all the while giving all of them a disappointed look.

The entered the principal's office to see an annoyed Mr. Delmas. His eyes were shadowed with fatigue, body sluggish, and it seemed like if he thought too hard, he'd get a headache. "Jim, what's going on so early? It's only 7:30 a.m." He asked, cranky; he didn't even have his coffee yet. He had wanted to relax for a little while, but apparently that wasn't going to be the case.

"There was a fight at breakfast," Jim responded, turning to the group of 8 that followed him, "I brought everyone involved."

Jean Pierre Delmas was a strict and no-nonsense principal. If he only gave you 4 hours detention for violence, that would be your lucky break. He gave them a look of contempt. "Children," he said sternly and harshly, "if you all don't want to be suspended or expelled, you better start explaining right now." He was _not_ pleased.

All of them went stone cold stiff, frozen in their tracks. Their facial expressions all conveyed one thing: they were royally screwed.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I can't say action scenes are my forte, but I hope I keep improving on it! Hope you liked!  
> -Luminous Luminita


	4. Secrets

* * *

Chapter 4: Secrets

* * *

_Previously_

* * *

Jean Pierre Delmas was a strict and no-nonsense principal. If he only gave you 4 hours detention for violence, that would be your lucky break. He gave them a look of contempt. "Children," he said sternly and harshly, "if you all don't want to be suspended or expelled, you better start explaining right now." He was _not_ pleased.

All of them went stone cold stiff, frozen in their tracks. Their facial expressions all conveyed one thing: they were royally screwed.

* * *

Naturally, right after he said that, everyone began shouting on top of each other, voices and words overlapping.

"William started it!" Ulrich yelled, pointing at William.

"Ulrich started it!" William yelled back.

"I was just trying to help my friend!" Odd jumped in, trying to defend himself and justify what he did.

"I had nothing to do with it!" Yumi yelled in a panic, afraid of being punished.

"Please don't expel us!" Aelita pleaded, scared out of her wits.

"I tried to stop them!" Jeremie cried, fearing the worst case scenario.

Suddenly a whistle blew, silencing their protests. The one responsible for this was Jim. After they quieted down, he said sternly, voice raised, "That's enough out of all of you."

Mr. Delmas took a sip of his morning coffee before continuing, "Yes, thank you, Jim." Jim nodded at him, then he went on to say, "Do you know what happened, Jim?"

Jim replied, shrugging ever so slightly, "From what I saw, William, Ulrich, and Odd were fighting."

Mr. Delmas turned to the kids again, giving them all a reproving glare. He said, voice laced with irritation, "Okay, let me ask you guys again. What led up to the fight?"

When it was made clear that no one else was going to do it, the Jr. Einstein stepped forward, attempting to remain calm, though the fear around him was apparent, "Sayaia had come up to us to ask about William and..." He trailed off.

This surprised the no-nonsense principal, as Sayaia had never been a cause for major concern. The aforementioned girl had hidden herself behind everyone else, seeming to go unnoticed. He eyed the shy girl and said, voice calm and even, "Step forward, Sayaia."

By the mention of her name, everyone turned to look at her and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

She hated how they stared her down so intensely. It felt like she was under a microscope, watching her every move. Though she felt very uncomfortable, she complied and approach him.

She took cautious baby steps, trying not to focus on the heavy gazes of the others, eyes having a staring contest with the floor. Don't they know it's impolite to stare like that?

When she finally was in front of him, she struggled to maintain eye contact and her body trembled slightly. She managed a faint murmur, "Yes, sir...?"

He kept his voice level and soft, but firm all the same, "What exactly happened?"

She spoke softly, voice slightly shaky, "You see...there has been a conflict going on between Jeremie, Odd, Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi with William for a while now. It has been causing William distress, so I wanted to help...But instead I just made it worse..." Knowing that fact pained her.

Mr. Delmas asked in disbelief, "You caused it...?"

She bowed slightly, voice sad yet formal all the same, "I'm sorry I caused this to happen...I'll accept their punishment if I must..."

Kandadara felt a tug at her heartstrings. Sayaia had gone up to them because Kandadara herself had been down about William being so depressed about the conflict between that group of 5 and himself, whatever it was. Sayaia was trying to take a punishment for something she didn't do. She was not responsible for their actions. She had to take a stand, so she walked up beside Sayaia and said softly, "Mr. Delmas, please don't punish my sister. She didn't do anything wrong..."

Odd jumped in, "They didn't do anything wrong, it was William who started that fight."

Jeremie mentally face-palmed. For a moment, Odd had actually sounded mature, almost sounding like he was taking responsibility for his actions. But because he wanted to get off scott-free he put the blame on William. It was just Odd being Odd.

How they placed all the blame on William made him angry. He rose his voice, getting very defensive "Like hell I did! Ulrich knew exactly what he was doing!"

Ulrich got defensive as well, "But it was you who attacked me first!"

"But it was you who told me I abused women!" William snapped back.

"Enough!" Jim yelled at them.

Mr. Delmas turned to Jim and said, irritated, "Jim, who was fighting?"

Jim replied, "It was just Dunbar, Stern, and Della Robbia. The others were more of bystanders, I guess."

He nodded at Jim and wanted to confirm, "So Kandadara, Sayaia, Jeremie, Aelita, and Yumi weren't fighting then?"

"No," Jim shook his head, "Not that I saw, anyway."

"We didn't fight at all," Jeremie said, gesturing towards himself, Aelita, and Yumi, "neither did the sisters."

Ulrich wasn't about to let Sayaia and Kandadara get out of this, so he tried, "That may be, but if they hadn't come to bother us about William, this wouldn't have happened!"

Jim gave him a glare and said, reprimanding him, "Stern, take responsibility for your actions. You should know violence is never the answer." This made Ulrich sulk.

This caused William to snicker. Somehow, seeing Ulrich knocked down like that was satisfying.

But that satisfaction was short lived as Jim had sent him a glare as he said, "Dunbar, you're in no position to be smiling." That knocked the smirk off William's face.

Mr. Delmas spoke again, speaking authoritatively and sternly, "I have made a decision." He looked around at those responsible of the fight, "William, Ulrich, and Odd, 3 days of in-school-suspension and 1 week of detention, 4 hours per day. If I hear that you fight again, I will suspend you. After that, you'll be expelled. The others may go, but I don't want to hear a peep out of any of you. Understand?" They nodded. He really was no-nonsense. He then turned to Jim and continued, "Jim, take these trouble making boys to the library. Dismissed."

Jim nodded at him, then turned to the students, "Stern, Dunbar, Della Robbia, you're coming with me. The rest of you can go to class." He then ushered said boys with him. They were giving each other death glares.

So with that, they all left to go their 1st period classes.

* * *

There was an awkward, almost unbearable silence between all of them. After all, they did have a terrible morning and almost got in trouble. There wasn't really anything they could bring themselves to say; there was just way too much on their minds.

Jeremie was relieved and thankful they didn't get in trouble, but the conflict just kept getting worse. He was at a loss of what to do. Would it be easier to just patch things up with William? It would be ideal, but then again, he knew that things weren't always that simple. Yumi and Ulrich made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with him.

Aelita, too, was thinking the same thing as Jeremie. The conflict just kept getting worse, but just how could they solve something like this? As far as Kandadara and Sayaia getting involved, they couldn't tell them the truth. It was all so troubling.

Yumi eyed both Kandadara and Sayaia, wondering in irritation as to why they got involved as much as they did. Both of them just had to get so involved with William. But why did they care so much anyway? But then something struck her. Yumi broke the silence and asked, "Kandadara, you like William, don't you?" She had a sneaking feeling.

The question threw Kandadara off, causing another slew of questions to assault her mind. Why would Yumi ask that? More importantly, why would she care? Yumi had made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing to do with William. It confused her. So she answered Yumi's question with a question, "Why do you ask?" Kandadara really wanted to know why.

Though Kandadara didn't answer the question directly, the slight blush across her face betrayed her. Yumi had her answer. She told her, voice slightly snarky, "You know he's no good, right?"

Anger flashed in Kandadara's normally gentle dark blue eyes. She rose her voice slightly, "Well maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

Yumi replied, "I've long since read that book. It's not a good one."

'I highly doubt that...' Kandadara thought bitterly.

They, especially Ulrich and Yumi, had all took him at face value. Even when he showed so much sorrow and remorse for whatever mistake he made, they just spit in his face.

Even though the chance of them telling her the truth was slim, she had to ask.

Kandadara's facial expression and voice softened. She said, "Why do you hate him so much? I can tell he's sorry..."

Jeremie replied solemnly, "Things aren't always that simple."

Kandadara and Sayaia knew all too well about life being complex; they live such a life every day.

"Believe me," Kandadara said sagely, "I know this all too well."

"In this world, you can't take everything at face value," Sayaia replied knowingly, "Life is complex."

Of course Yumi and the others knew that, they've had to save the world from XANA countless times. So their talk just annoyed her, "You talk like you know how that works." Yumi said, irritated.

Kandadara saw that this talk was getting them nowhere. If it continued on, it would just turn into a full on argument. She nor anyone else wanted that. All she wanted was for them all to get along. So she relented, at least for the time being, and said in defeat, "I see this is getting us nowhere..."

Jeremie and Aelita could only agree with her. It really wasn't getting anywhere. They were all too worked up after that fiasco. Aelita said sadly, "You're right..."

Kandadara was glad that they agreed with her. She then turned to Sayaia and said, a hint of sadness in her voice, "Let's go Sayaia."

Sayaia just nodded and silently complied with Kandadara's request.

They walked a few steps, but Kandadara stopped for a moment and looked back at them. As an afterthought or a warning of some sorts, she said, voice soft but laced with a grim determination, "If you guys don't fix this, then I will."

With that, they left the scene.

* * *

Yumi heaved a sigh of relief. "They're so creepy," she commented, shuddering, "There's something rather dark about both of them too."

"Seems to me like they're hiding something too..." Aelita replied thoughtfully. They were always so secretive.

Jeremie thought about that and it seemed to make some sense. Both of them kept to themselves very often, as if they were hiding something. They didn't seem to have any other friends, other than each other. They all seemed strange somehow, but he couldn't understand why. They were always described as dark, despite being really nice. "But what could they be hiding?" He asked.

Aelita wasn't sure herself, but her intuition trying to tell her something. Whatever it was, they were definitely hiding something rather serious. She didn't know how she knew that, but she felt it all the way down to her bones. Like they were destined to know. "I don't know," she admitted, "but it's something big. Very big."

Jeremie contemplated the possibility. If Aelita's intuition was right, then the sisters were hiding something potentially serious, perhaps even costly or dangerous. But if that was the case, then should they try to find out the sisters big secret? Something inside of him was screaming out that they must do so. He didn't even know.

Though Yumi wholeheartedly agreed with them, something else was haunting her mind too. She considered what Kandadara had said. Though it confounded Yumi to no end as to why she or anyone else would, Kandadara really liked William, so naturally, she would be concerned about his welfare. Because of this, it was very likely that Kandadara would try to find out the truth, considering the circumstances about how they got involved. Yumi was more than a little concerned about it all. So she had to share her thoughts, "Do you think they'll try to find out our secret?"

They all considered that possibility. The chances of that was quite high, given the whole fiasco earlier. Knowing this, both Jeremie and Aelita nodded silently, agreeing with Yumi.

Then the bell rang, signaling to go to 1st period, hence cutting them off.

With that, Jeremie and Aelita parted ways with Yumi, saying their goodbyes.

They all knew what they had to do. No one could ever find out their secret about XANA and Lyoko. If word got out, the entire world could be in danger.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Kandadara and Sayaia

* * *

So many thoughts ran wild in Kandadara's head. Just what happened between William and his former friends? Why were they so reluctant to reconcile? What if Williams's mistake had been serious or costly? If that was the case, then maybe it wouldn't be so easy to just forgive and forget. What exactly happened that was so bad? The only way she could judge this was to find out for herself.

Sayaia knew Kandadara was determined to fix it all, but how would she go about it? She asked, "Kandadara, what do you plan on doing?"

Kandadara snapped out of her thoughts and replied thoughtfully, "I'm normally very mindful of people's privacy, but in this case, they're not trying to fix this conflict. Haven't you noticed that they always seemed to be hiding something?"

Now that she thought about it, it made sense. That group had always seemed to be hiding something. They would always sneak out of class or school to go somewhere, but where they went, nobody knew. She just assumed they wanted to play hooky and hang out, as many teenagers do. It seemed like they were hiding something, but until now, Sayaia never thought much of it. "Yes," she nodded knowingly, "it would seem that way."

Kandadara continued on, "I have a feeling their secret has something to do with William. They've got to know what was going on with him these past few months. I've been trying to figure it out, but I can't make sense of it at all. But I'm sure they know something. All I want is an answer and for things to go be right again..." She had a hint of melancholy in both her voice and eyes. She wanted things to be right between William and the others. She just wished for their happiness.

A thought struck Sayaia. Both she and Kandadara had gotten quite involved with the situation, so it was likely the others were suspicious of them as well. If that was the case, then she knew what could potentially happen. She went on to say, "But what if they try to find out our secret?"

Kandadara felt her eyes go wide in fear and her body go stone stiff. She was right. No one could ever find out their secret. The world would be at stake and could bring so much death if someone found out. "They can't...no one can..." She murmured.

Then the bell rang for 1st period, cutting their conservation short, but it would have to be continued later.

They parted ways and went to their respective 1st period classes.

This secret was one that had to be taken to their graves, never revealed unless it was to those like them.

No one can find out.

* * *

They were all determined to find out each other's big secret, all the while without the other, or anyone else for that matter, finding out about theirs.


	5. Panic Attack

* * *

Chapter 5: Panic Attack

* * *

Sayaia's 1st class of the day was History with Mr. Gilles Fumet. She also had all the same classes with Jeremie, Aelita, Ulrich, and Odd. However Ulrich and Odd would have in-school-suspension for a couple days, as unfortunate as it was.

Normally, she'd be able to focus rather well on the lectures her teachers' give the class, but at the moment, she couldn't concentrate on the topics at hand. She was able to pick up snippets of things here and there, but overall, she was stuck inside her own head. There was just way too much on her mind.

But then again, after what happened that morning, it was to be expected.

To say that she still felt guilty over it all was an understatement.

Maybe Ulrich had been right. If she hadn't gone up to them and confronted them about William, then maybe they wouldn't have fought.

'No,' she attempted to reassure herself. 'There was a lot of tension between William and Ulrich long before today. They were liable to snap at any time.' She reasoned with herself.

Even though her thought held some truth, she knew, deep down, that she, albeit indirectly and unintentionally, caused the fight between the boys.

Because of that, it ate at her conscience.

Above all else, she couldn't help but wonder if getting involved with it all was the right thing to do.

She had done so on impulse, entirely driven by compassion. She thought she could help the situation, but instead she had made it worse. It was a noble, but very naïve notion, she knew.

Sayaia also knew that Kandadara was determined to find out what really happened between all of them. To Kandadara, giving up wasn't an option. If it could help solve the dispute between them, then Kandadara would do anything.

All things considered, they were in this sticky situation together. In the end, it really can't be helped now. After all, what was done is done.

Though William had been right about one thing; love really does make people totally insane.

At the same time, Jeremie and Aelita struggled to pay attention to the lecture themselves, a true rarity for them. But once again, given the situation, it made sense.

Thankfully they know the subject like the back of their hand. Jeremie and Aelita were nicknamed the Einstein couple for good reason.

However, everything just seemed to be getting more and more chaotic. Dealing with XANA and Lyoko was a task within itself, but to add a pair of sisters into the mix was too much. It really felt like everything was spiraling out of control.

But such a feeling was something they were all too familiar with.

Considering the circumstances and Kandadara's words to them, the possibility of Kandadara trying to learn their secret was definitely there, Aelita knew.

Jeremie had similar thoughts, trying to mull over what he should do. Should they try to run a return to the past so the sisters forget? Or should they wait it out and see if they'll even try? Or perhaps should they give the sisters a phony excuse to appease them? Would that even work?

Regardless, it was all so troublesome.

Then the history teacher began talking about something that caught Sayaia's attention, front and center.

"During the years 1692 and 1693, the Salem Witch Trials took place. Witches were seen as demonic underbellies in those days. People in those days feared the supernatural and…" He rambled on, but inwardly Sayaia started panicking, trying her best to shut it out.

She felt her heart thump in her chest and a sick feeling lingered in her stomach. She already felt awful, but to bring up something so painful for her, it put the icing on the cake.

Of all things to bring up, why did it have to be that? Especially at the worst possible time? She didn't want to hear that. Not now. No…she couldn't.

To discuss that topic was too much.

The more she heard his lecture, the sicker she felt. As the seconds went by, it was getting harder to breathe as if there was lump in her throat, the nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach increased, her palms were sticky with sweat, and her body trembled slightly. In short, she was definitely having a panic attack. She just had to get out.

She sprang up from her seat and blurted out, "May I please go to the infirmary?" There was an undertone of desperation and panic in her voice.

Everyone looked at her, surprised, obviously caught off guard by the normally soft-spoken girl's sudden outburst. It was very uncharacteristic of her.

Mr. Fumet eyed her with a both curious and concerned gaze. Sayaia was one of his quietest students in his class, the complete opposite of Odd Della Robbia.

But if she didn't feel well, perhaps going to the infirmary would be the best choice for her.

"Yes, Sayaia, you may..." He uttered out, worried about her.

She mumbled out, "Thank you..."

With that she picked up her things, almost rushing out of the room.

Jeremie and Aelita were left stunned after witnessing that little spectacle Sayaia had made.

What was with that?

Aelita looked at Jeremie with a confused face as she stated, "That was really strange."

Sayaia's reaction was definitely very curious. He considered one particular possibility, "Sayaia seemed to have panicked when the teacher began talking about all the witch hunts and trials."

"Maybe she's a witch." Aelita said somewhat jokingly. Odd wasn't there to lighten the mood with his jokes, so Aelita would take his place, even if it was for a short time.

Jeremie didn't find it very funny. "Nonsense, they don't exist. Illogical fallacy."

"Maybe she's Wiccan or had ancestors that were persecuted in those days," Aelita reasoned thoughtfully, "So maybe she's sensitive about that topic?" That was the most logical explanation she could find.

Jeremie couldn't argue with that possibility. "You're probably right," he agreed.

Still, Sayaia's reaction to his lecture was downright bizarre. It definitely left both Jeremie and Aelita curious about Sayaia's family history.

Sayaia definitely was a mysterious one.

It left them wanting to know more.

* * *

If boredom could kill, then it would've killed Odd a million times over because he was bored to death.

Jim had told them they would have to stay with him in the library until school got out and that they'd have to eat lunch with him for the next couple days, which really sucked.

There were a couple upsides at least: he'd be able to eat dinner with his friends and he wouldn't go without lunch.

The idea of him going without any of the main meals of the day would be true torture. It was no secret he loved to eat.

Even though he has a gluttonous appetite, he still remains so skinny. He can't help but feel a little self-conscious about it, since everyone calls him scrawny.

Regardless, he hated just sitting in a library doing nothing. Ulrich and William were just glaring at each other from across the library, unaware of anything else. He tried to nap, but Jim caught him and chewed him out for it.

At this point, he would do anything to get out of this suffocating boredom. He need to have novelty and excitement in his life. Where he was now, he wasn't getting any of that.

Odd looked out the window to see a girl running past the library.

He realized that the girl in question was Sayaia.

This definitely piqued his interest.

Wasn't she supposed to be in class? Was she trying to skip out of class and play hooky? Not that Odd could blame her. A lot of the time, classes could be so boring.

But this was Sayaia. She never came off as the delinquent or prankster types. If anything, she was the bookworm type just like the Einstein duo that was Jeremie and Aelita. So this was definitely new.

He really wanted to know what was up. It would sure beat just sitting in detention all day, like he would be for 2 more days after today.

But how would he get out of his lame in school suspension? He had to get past Jim.

An idea struck him. Yes, this could work. He just had to make it sound extra convincing so Jim won't suspect a thing.

"Jim?" Odd asked, playing up a shaky voice.

Jim looked up from the magazine he was reading. "What is it, Della Robbia?"

Odd feigned a pained facial expression, as if he was on the verge of either vomiting or about to explode from potential stomach pain or diarrhea.

He whined softly, still acting, "I really feel sick…Can I go to the infirmary?" He held his stomach to make it seem convincing.

Jim gave him a suspicious look. Did Odd just want to get out of detention? If that was the case, then Jim wouldn't allow him to go at all. He wouldn't put it past Odd to do something like that.

But what if he really was sick? It was possible, considering it was winter. Cold and rain seemed to be a given, especially the past few days. He could very well be coming down with something.

Plus, he didn't really want to risk Odd throwing up in the middle of library. Jim really didn't want to clean that up, that was for sure.

"Fine," Jim relented, "But if I hear that you weren't in the infirmary, I will double your detention."

Odd inwardly jumped for joy. He had won!

He wanted to whoop and holler, but he knew if he did that, his cover would be totally blown.

Despite his inner cheer, he gave a weak smile and said quietly, "Thank you Jim…" Odd really was an incredible actor; he almost believed himself!

He unsteadily walked out of the library, pretending to seem dizzy, holding onto anything he could. With that, the library door closed.

When he was sure no one could see or hear him, he smiled in victory. It worked!

He looked about to find Sayaia. Judging by the direction she was running in, she either went to the infirmary or the girl's bathroom. Considering he was closer to the bathroom, maybe he should look in there?

But wait, could he really go inside? He stopped before the door and nervously looked about to see if there was anyone around. If he was caught, he'd get in trouble for sure. It was a whole new level of awkward. But rules were made to be broken.

After making sure there was no one around, he went into the bathroom.

* * *


	6. A Friend in Need

* * *

Chapter 6: A Friend in Need

* * *

Odd entered the bathroom, seeming to go unnoticed by Sayaia or anyone else. All the stalls were open and unoccupied, save for one. He quietly attempted to open the door, only to find it locked. He stopped, feeling awkward. If she was using the bathroom, he certainly didn't just want to barge in on her like that. Sayaia was the type to always be mindful of such things, she was a shy girl.

"Sayaia…? You okay?" He called out gently, both concerned and curious. He just hoped it was Sayaia behind the door or else it would be a whole new level of awkward, even more so than it already was.

From the other side of the stall, Sayaia tensed up at the voice. It sounded like it was Odd. Several questions swirled in her mind at the realization. Why was he in the girl's bathroom? Wasn't he supposed to be in detention? Did he sneak out? Did he follow her? If so, then what did he want with her? Why was he here?

"Odd…?" She murmured softly, voice sounding far away.

"Yeah, it's me…" Odd replied, trying to keep quiet, afraid if he was too loud, passing faculty could catch him. He really didn't want to explain a situation like this to the teachers or get into even more trouble. Worse yet, didn't get a sweet girl like Sayaia in trouble. Odd felt himself blush.

Sayaia asked, "W-What are you doing in the girl's bathroom?"

"I saw you running somewhere…I was kind of curious…" Odd said, voice almost sounding nervous. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Why was he being shy?

Sayaia got up and opened the door to face the concerned boy before her. He looked so concerned for her, which made her heart sink. She didn't want to cause anyone worry.

Odd took note of Sayaia. Her skin was pale and her eyes looked a bit sunken. She certainly looked like she was ill.

He reached for her forehead and felt her temperature, which caused the latter to blush. He asked, "Sayaia, are you all right? You feel warm."

She suddenly felt faint, she gripped the wall for balance. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I don't feel well...I feel kinda dizzy too."

He put his arm around her waist, as to make sure she didn't fall. He reassured her, "I got you, I'll take you to the infirmary."

She smiled softly and nodded, "Thank you, Odd, you're very sweet."

"Don't sweat it, I can't just leave a pretty girl in need, can I?" He replied, tone jolly and slightly teasing. He couldn't help but to have a little bit of fun after a stressful morning.

At first, she was taken aback by this, but upon seeing the glint in his eye and the playful grin on his lips, she realized he was teasing her. Of course, such a thing was an Odd thing to do. She laughed softly, returning the playfulness, "You just wanted to get out of in-school-suspension didn't you?"

He pretended offense, but ended up laughing, "Hey! In my defense, it was boring."

She smiled faintly, "I can't really blame you there."

A peaceful silence followed them, with both of them smiling as they walked.'

Though Sayaia never admitted it to anyone but her sister, Sayaia had a crush on Odd. He was funny, friendly, and charming, which made him popular among the girls. Ulrich was popular with the girls as well, for opposite reasons, but she never really crushed on Ulrich. While she's had her eyes on Odd for a quite a while, she didn't think she could ever tell him how she felt. If she did, would he accept her feelings? Would he want to date her? After the fiasco that happened that morning, would Odd ever see her that way? She was one of the few girls in the 9th grade he never asked out, so her confidence wasn't really high. What did he think of her? Did he hate her?

After a few moments, Sayaia finally said, "Odd...I'm sorry about earlier...The whole situation was my fault...I should've been in detention with you guys..."

Odd shook his head. "No, you didn't. William and Ulrich were just inches away from tearing each other apart. They never were big fans of each other. You really didn't have anything to do with them."

Her eyes met his, she murmured, "Do you really think so...?"

He smiled at her, "I know so, Sayaia."

She asked another question, voice soft, "You're not angry with me...? You don't hate me for what I tried to do...?"

Odd shook his head, "Nah, I think you were pretty brave and kind to be able to do what you did. I find it pretty cool, honestly."

Sayaia blushed and smiled faintly at this, not having the strength to talk anymore.

He couldn't help but wonder why she asked those things. Did she like him? If so, why? With all the girls he's dated in their grade for only a couple days at best, he'd be sure that someone like Sayaia would be disgusted. He never slept with anyone, no relationship had never gotten that serious. But even so, a lot of girls think he's a casanova. Would Sayaia want to date him? Would he want to date her? She was a sweet and pretty girl, to be sure. But he had never thought about her in such a way before.

They both made it to the infirmary, where Yolonda greeted them. "Hello, Odd and Sayaia? What's going on here?"

Odd put on a weak smile, "I didn't feel well, ma'am, but I found Sayaia almost passed out. So I decided to take her to the infirmary. I couldn't just leave her." While he actually was feeling more or less fine, he was still rather sleepy. Anything was better than dentention! He just hoped that Yolanda didn't know about what happened at breakfast, lest he'd be in some deep shit. Above all else, he was worried about Sayaia, so he wanted to stay with her.

Yolanda helped lay Sayaia down on a bed and took her vitals. She took note, "She has a slight fever and her pulse is a little bit high, but she should be fine, Odd. She just needs to rest."

Odd nodded, "I'm not feeling too well either. Plus I'm worried about her...May I stay with her...?"

Yolanda observed him. The expression on his face looked so sincere. It was probably the first time she ever saw Odd being super concerned for a girl in a long time, other than Aelita or Yumi, who were in his friend circle. She couldn't help but wonder if he harbored real feelings for her. Such a sweet thing young love can be.

She nodded, "Yes, of course...You can lay on the bed next to her, if you'd like."

"Thank you," Odd replied kindly, doing as she said. Luckily he'd be able to sleep, one of his favorite things to do besides eating. After all the events with XANA, he really needed to catch up on sleep. He can also stay by Sayaia's side.

"Just don't get any funny ideas you two." She added slyly. "I know how teens can be."

Odd laughed weakly, still playing the sickly, "No of course not! Maybe it's you who needs to get their mind out of the gutter, Yolanda." Sure Odd was a teenage guy, but he had more respect than that. Right now he didn't care about that, he just wanted to make sure Sayaia was all right.

She smiled at him, "I'll take my leave for now, but I'll check on you both soon. Keep an eye on her, Odd."

He nodded and with that, she left the room, leaving them alone.

The silence between them wasn't awkward, but something felt different.

After a while, Sayaia murmured sleepily, "Odd...I want to tell you something..." The stress from that morning was starting to hit her and all she wanted to do was sleep. But she had to tell him.

He glanced at her, replying just as drowsily, "Sure, Sayaia...What's up?" He could feel the lack of sleep getting to him as well and he definitely needed to catch up on sleep, but politely waited for Sayaia to finish.

She whispered softly, "Thank you, Odd...I'm glad you came to help me when you did...If you hadn't, I'm not sure what would have happened...So thank you, I appreciate what you did..."

He felt himself blushing again and he couldn't help but to smile. "No problem, Sayaia." He said warmly. "Have a good rest."

She smiled faintly as well and replied softly, "You, too..."

In that moment, everything had felt right as if there were no more troubles in the world. Time felt like it was at a stand still. They both fell into a peaceful sleep, not worried about anything.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So yeah, it's pretty obvious what I'm trying to do here. But I hope you found this chapter cute! I'm not totally happy with it, but this is what I came up with for now. I thought a calmer chapter would be a nice change of pace from the drama and angst that this story is meant to be. You can't have angst all the time after all! xD Anyway, I hope you like this! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but I'm not sure when. Until next time!
> 
> -Luminous Luminita

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Yeah the story is quite angsty, but that was the original intent of the story so I'm rolling with it. I hope I do it well. I'll post the other chapters the I have written shortly. Also I am well aware that some of my OCs appear in multiple stories, but unless stated otherwise, these stories are their own standalone things. Kandadara and Sayaia in particular appear in more than 3 stories, but they are different incarnations and not connected unless the story is a prequel/sequel. Let me know what you think! Until next time!  
> -Luminios Luminita


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